WORLD number two Judd Trump put his best foot forward to reach the Betfair Masters quarter-finals after surviving a major scare against Barry Hawkins.

WORLD number two Judd Trump put his best foot forward to reach the Betfair Masters quarter-finals after surviving a major scare against Barry Hawkins.

Trump, who was forced to change his extravagant footwear during the match due to a lack of grip, looked to be sliding to a shock first-round defeat after Hawkins rattled off three successive frames from 3-2 down to put himself within sight of the win.

However, Trump battled back with a 105 break before edging a tension-filled 10th frame – where Hawkins missed a couple of a straightforward-looking pots with victory within his grasp – to send the match to a decider.

Relieved to still be in contention, the Bristolian rattled off a brilliant break of 107 in the final frame to claim a 6-5 victory and set up a quarter-final meeting with Scotland’s Graeme Dott, who also won 6-5 against Scot Stephen Maguire.

Trump feared the worst before Hawkins let him back in with the missed shots in the 10th frame. Asked if he felt he was heading out, Trump said: “Yeah, I didn’t really see the angle he had on the first black when he was playing for the yellow, but it looked pretty easy from where I was and the second one I never thought he was going to miss.

“Whoever you play here is going to be a tough game, Barry played really well so hopefully that stands me in good stead for the rest of the tournament.”

Having reached the semi-finals last year, Trump is widely fancied to go all the way at the Masters.

However, he was keen to play down the tag of favourite and insists he is still learning his trade.

“I still don’t see myself as the favourite. Every tournament I play in I see John Higgins as the favourite. I think John Higgins is proven and I’ve still only won three tournaments,” he said.